Disturbed Life Sentence

Content Warning: This Realistic Fiction story includes graphic descriptions of gun violence and a fictional school shooting and may be difficult for readers. 

Part 1:

The first time I heard about guns was in a way I wasn’t expecting. I was at home with my parents when the news came on, another school incident. Much closer to home, only a few hours away from my school. My father had a look on his face like he usually did, a stern one but this time it seemed to fault. My mother looked ill as if she would faint. She quickly moved over to me, grasping her hands in mine.

“Sweetheart,” she started, her voice slightly quivering. “You must be careful when you go to school.” She stared at me, her gaze unmoved. I nodded slowly, at the time. I didn’t think I needed to. My father walked over, his gaze hardening.

“Some people who own guns. Don’t know how to use them safely,” He sat down next to me. “So innocent people have to suffer because of their stupidity.” After he said that, I knew it was more serious than I thought. But I still had no idea. Until around four years later, it was almost the summer. The skies were warm and the classes were hot. I sat in my second to last period of the day. My body slumped over the desk, trying to listen to the mumbling of my teacher. When the intercom started blaring.

“Lockdown.”

Those words sent my body into a shock, I knew that without the word “drill” in that sentence that this was real. I needed to panic, my teacher had a look of pure petrified disbelief on her face. She ran to the door and locked it. We all jumped into our plan. I ran to pull the blinds, my best friend Luke ran to help students pile up our backpacks, for protection or what we thought would protect us. My teacher hit the lights and stood by the door, my class ran to hide in the corner, silently on our feet. Hoping. Praying.

They wouldn’t come here.

I could feel my heart pounding in my throat, I felt the air start to compress my lungs. It was getting harder to control my breathing. It was silent. It was terrifyingly quiet.

Bang.

A gunshot rang down the hallway. My breathing quickened, everyone was silent and shaking, I could hear a girl next to me start to cry silently but I was too scared to think about it. I sat there waiting for something to happen. A noise. Another gunshot. Screaming. But, nothing. Just silence.

Until I heard a lock break down the hall. Screaming was all I could hear, followed by the sound of gunshots. I heard shoes hitting the floor. I heard people hitting the floor. I heard the lock on our door get broken. I felt my blood run cold. The next thing I heard was screaming and the gun going off.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

I saw the teacher fall to the ground. I was in such a state of shock I forgot how to move. I didn't know what to do. I felt my friend Luke grab my arm and tug me, he was yelling something but I wasn’t able to understand it.

Pain.

A stingy pain shot up from my lower back. I had gotten shot.

I fell to the floor screaming as the pain intensified, it was too much to bear. I could see my blood all over my hands, with every passing second I could feel the pain getting worse. Luke was trying to carry me out of the class, away from the shooter. He was trying to protect me.

Bang.

I watched Luke let me go and fall to the ground. He began choking as blood spurred out of the middle of his stomach, I crawled over to him. He wasn’t moving. I was screaming, crying and silent. All at once. I was terrified.

I was going to die.

I’m not going home.

I cried until I wasn’t able to.

I felt my body go limp as I was laid by Luke.

Who had already stopped moving.

At least if I was going to die.

I was dying with someone close.

The pain faded.

Just like my vision.

The last thing I saw was people running into the class, apprehending the shooter.

Someone ran towards me and Luke.

Then nothing.

PART 2: 

I woke up to a bright light. The pain I had before shot through me once again, but not as bad. I looked around the room. Medical supplies. Beeping. My eyes roamed the room once again. I was clearly in a hospital room, I looked over at the corner to see my mother sleeping on my fathers shoulder. I wanted to call out to them, but I couldn’t speak. It felt like I had a lump in my throat. Preventing speech.

I moved my arm to see a IV. I moved the blanket down and looked at my stomach, my entire stomach was wrapped. That’s when the reality of what happened that day set in.

I groaned as I tried to sit up. Pain shooting up my spine. My mother immediately woke up at the sound of me, tears streamed down her face as she ran over to me and hugged me. It hurt to move my arms too much, so I just leaned on her. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t.

I cried too much already.

I asked my mother where Luke was.

She didn’t respond right away, and I immediately thought the worst.

My best friend was dead.

I heard the door to my room open, it reminded me of the way my classroom lock broke. My entire body froze and I felt my breath quickening. I calmed down once I saw my best friend on crutches walking into my room.

“Hey,” his voice was quiet and slightly shaky. He sounded different in a way I couldn’t understand. He limped down to where I laid, my mom backed off and stood by. He sat on the edge of my bed, he was the one who stopped moving. How is he still alive? How can he move but I can’t?

I tried to sit up more, but I couldn’t move my legs. I couldn’t even feel my legs. They were numb. I was only able to move and feel my upper body. Luke sat there looking at me, he had multiple small shot bandages.

“What are those for?”

I asked, gently rubbing my hand over one of them. He looked where my hand had touched.

“These are shots. That help fight the one here."

He moved his shirt revealing a slightly red bandage covering the lower part of his chest. I looked at him with a look of shock, I didn’t expect for him to have been shot there. So close to his heart, he was so close. To being dead.

“How are you…” I began, but he interrupted me.

“Alive?”

I nodded.

“Luck.”

I stared at him. How could he be so calm about this?

“And a bit of faith,” He stared at me. “But you’re the one who is lucky to be alive.” “How so?” I asked. He looked slightly pale as he looked at my mom and then me.

“You lost all the feeling in your legs, and the doctors don’t know if you’ll ever be able to get it back. Meaning, you can’t walk anymore.”

My entire world came crashing down. Not being able to walk?

I play football.

I was an upcoming star.

I had offers from everywhere.

I lost everything

All because, someone couldn’t control themself.

I couldn’t control the tears that streamed down my face, everything I was feeling crashed into one. Luke tried comforting me but I couldn’t understand him. I was on the verge of having a panic attack. My lungs started closing. That day played in my heart.

Over.

Over.

Over.

Until it was the only thing I could think of.

My breathing quickened. I felt my entire body start to stop. Luke was now shouting trying to get me to relax, nurses ran in trying to comfort me.

PART 3: 

A couple hours later. When I finally calmed down. I was scared. Scared that my life was over. That there was no point in moving on, and I don’t even know who shot me.

Who.

Ended.

My.

Life.

Who ruined. EVERYTHING. I had done. I had built.

Luke stared at me. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t even move.

“You know..” He started his voice quiet. “I never said you wouldn’t be able to walk again, we just don’t know if you’ll be able to. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything.” He shifted to lay next to me.

I looked over at him.

“If I can’t walk. What’s the point in even moving further?” I asked. He stared at me and sighed.

“Even if you won’t be able to walk ever again. You survived,” He looked back at me. “You survived something devastating. Something worse than not being able to walk, is not being able to live. Just because you might not be able to walk, doesn’t change who you are. I have a permanent heart condition now.”

I listened to him talk.

This one day at school would change the rest of our lives. 

Why? 

Why?

Why?

The End.